The Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) completed the pre-trial investigation as of the facts of embezzlement UAH 37 million during the arrangement of the Shyrokyi Lan military range in Mykolayiv Oblast. On November 2, 2020, five suspects and the defense had been granted with access to criminal proceeding for review.
Among the suspects, there are:
- the Head of the Main Apartment-Maintenance Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) (under management of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)*;
- the Head of the Department of Construction, Reconstruction and Overhaul of Military Facilities of the Main Apartment-Maintenance Department of the AFU *;
- the Head of the Technical Supervision Department for Construction of the Main Apartment-Maintenance Department of the AFU *;
- the beneficial owner of the LLC;
- the Director of the LLC.
The actions of the suspects are qualified under Part 5 Article 191, Part 1 Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Other persons involved in the commission of a crime are being established.
The investigation revealed that the former officials of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, in collusion with representatives of a private company unreasonably accepted not executed works on the arrangement of Shyrokyi Lan range in Mykolayiv Oblast. Thus, the Ministry of Defenсe of Ukraine transferred UAH 37 million to the LLC for work that hat was not actually done.
On July 30, 2020, five persons were given notices of suspicion.
The investigation of these facts was started in November 2019 after the transfer of the case from the State Bureau of Investigations to NABU according to the investigation jurisdiction.
*acting positions at the time of the crime
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine a person is considered not-guilty in commission of crime and cannot be a subject to criminal punishment, until he or she is found guilty by the court.